Champions League Stakes Rise 49% in France, but Just 7.7% per Match

France’s gambling regulator, Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), published its breakdown of online sports betting on October 12. It counted 137 Champions League matches in 2024 and 189 in 2025. The expanded schedule represented 38.0% more fixtures.

52 Extra Matches Change the Growth Picture

Stakes on the competition rose by 48.6% over the same period. Using the regulator’s figures, 15M divided the stakes growth factor (1.486) by the match-count growth factor (189/137). The result is 1.077, equivalent to a 7.7% increase in average stakes per match.

That figure measures the total amount wagered across each fixture, not the size of an individual bet. ANJ estimated that roughly three quarters of the Champions League’s turnover increase came from the larger match calendar.

The tournament attracted an average of €4.4 million per match in 2025, according to the regulator.

Europa League and Club World Cup Show Different Results

The Europa League and Conference League also underwent format changes, but their betting volumes increased only slightly. The extra fixtures did not generate the same growth seen in the Champions League.

The expanded Club World Cup had a different start. Its new 63-match format attracted an average of €3.9 million per match in 2025, approaching the Champions League’s €4.4 million figure.

French involvement also showed up in the rankings. Two Paris Saint-Germain finals drew the year’s largest match-level betting volumes, at €38.2 million and €26.7 million, respectively.

Across France’s licensed online sports betting market, stakes reached €11.517 billion in 2025, up 12.0%. Gross gaming revenue increased 10.4% to €1.766 billion.

Football accounted for 54.9% of all stakes, while tennis represented 23.0%. Tennis stakes rose 16.0% without a comparable standout event. The 2024 football figures, meanwhile, included €438 million in wagers on the European Championship.

Smaller Football Leagues Draw More In-Play Stakes

ANJ also examined how betting activity differed between major tournaments and smaller football competitions. The share of in-play wagers varied across competitions:

• Champions League – 26% of stakes;
• Major domestic leagues – 30%-35%;
• Secondary competitions – 48%;
• European second divisions and other smaller leagues – 50%-58%.

Flagged Players Account for Over 80% of Stakes in Certain Markets

Separate figures for the first half of 2026 showed that players classified as excessive or manifestly excessive accounted for more than 80% of stakes on leagues in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia.

For bets on the result of an individual period of play, such as a half, quarter or set, the corresponding share ranged from 80% to 89% in the second quarter of 2026, depending on the sport.

ANJ cautioned that these results do not establish that lesser-known competitions are inherently more addictive. The regulator suggested that recreational bettors may simply account for a much smaller share of activity in those markets.